Here's a secret: I've never gone backpacking. I've been camping and I've walked a heck of a lot of places, but I've never been responsible for carrying all of my essentials on my back. This little fact intimidated me a bit when we decided to backpack through Europe. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle it and that my sore muscles would slow me down (we still need to see how I'm going to do).

That's when I decided to train! I packed my backpack with weights, books, notebooks, anything that would fit to add pounds and set out on the streets of San Jose. I already walk during lunch several days a week, so throwing my backpack on was super easy. I was surprised by how many stares I've gotten from people who look utterly confused, and I'm pretty sure someone thought I was homeless when I was walking Zoey around my neighborhood. Even though people were acting like they've never seen a backpack before, I don't care! It's funny to see their reactions and I enjoy extending vacation prep into multiple areas of life. I want to make it last as long as possible, so a few jokes about how I look isn't going to stop me!